Motor vehicles, during movement or when they are standing still with the motor running, are subject to vibrations that can be transmitted to the steering column, and from there, to the steering wheel. Any writing or marking on the steering wheel can then become illegible. To counteract such steering wheel vibrations and to improve riding comfort, vibration absorbers are provided either directly on the steering column or in the airbag housing on the steering wheel. The gas generator, among other things, is also used as vibration-absorbing mass for the damping of steering wheel vibrations. A problem that needs to be overcome in such cases involves the connection between the gas generator and the airbag housing which in turn is connected with the steering column. A number of proposals have been made to solve this problem.
For example, DE 199 55 427 A1 uses a gas-tight insert that is connected with an annular rubber membrane that extends along the steering wheel axis. The rubber membrane is provided with connecting parts that connect it with corresponding fastening flanges on the gas generator or airbag housing. This kind of connection, however, assumes that appropriate connecting sites are present on the gas generator. Other known connections between the rubber membrane and the gas generator are designed similarly and are based on the same principle.